Curly hair sling

[mckeownk]

sorry I know I've posted before, but she is only eating maybe one small cricket per month. I'm not even sure if she's eating it when I put it in there. It's usually still kicking, and I leave the cricket in there for up to 12 hours.
Is this normal behavior? She is about 7 months old and only the size of my thumb tip. She has molted twice. I know many of you are pros at this so I'd love some info.

Shouldn't she be bigger by now?

 

[Venom1080]

nope, their growth rate is pretty slow. my 1/4" took 4 years to get 4". also, is there a water dish in there?

 

[user 666]

what's the temperature?

 

[EulersK]

Whoa, that's a skinny tarantula. Slings tend to stop eating if they're dehydrated. Spritz the side of the enclosure for drinking water about once per week or have a water dish (I personally prefer spritzing, but either will work). Give it a good drink, then try to feed again.

 

[KezyGLA]

Bump up the temps and have a small water dish (soda cap) fresh filled every day

 

[mckeownk]

Thanks for the replies! I spray down the container once a day until the substrate is pretty wet in most places. I don't know what kind of water dish to use for a sling so small where she won't drown in it.

I've offered her two crickets in the last two weeks, but I don't think she's eaten either of them.

The temp is between 72-78 degrees in the room she is in.

 

[Olan]

Temp seems fine. Put a plastic bottle cap or something similar in there for a water dish. Slings don't drown, they float. No worry there. Are the crickets too big maybe? They should be her body size or smaller if they're not pre-killed.

 

[mckeownk]

Temp seems fine. Put a plastic bottle cap or something similar in there for a water dish. Slings don't drown, they float. No worry there. Are the crickets too big maybe? They should be her body size or smaller if they're not pre-killed.

If they are as big as she is I always squish the heads so the they're just twitching.

The other one I fed her last week was a pretty small pin head about 1/2 her body size, I also kind of immobilized it, but it was still twitching. I thought maybe she had eaten it because she was on top of it, but she is looking very skinny

 

[EulersK]

I spray down the container once a day until the substrate is pretty wet in most places. I don't know what kind of water dish to use for a slin

Well, that may be a bit overkill. You don't want it too humid, either. Maybe skip the once per day thing and do it once per week.